Greek Chicken Marinade

This easy GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE will become your new favorite marinade. It yields an insanely flavorful, and tender marinated chicken that goes well with any salads, gyros, sandwiches, and even rice. And it only calls for just a handful of fresh basic ingredients!

What sets this Greek chicken marinade recipe apart is that it is so DARN easy to make! Yep, you can make it even with your eyes closed.

And there’s no special ingredient in this marinade recipe. All you need are just a handful of basic and healthy ingredients and that’s it. No need to order on Amazon or visit a specialty market. 

Once you try this not-so-special marinade, you’d gladly use this on a weekly rotation. And it’s kid-approved too!

Feel free to use this marinade as well on pork, lamb, and beef.

Greek Chicken Marinade Ingredients

I don’t know about you, but I also do get a little sick of eating anything grilled with BBQ sauce. It’s not that I’m choosy, but sometimes a variation of even the simplest dish is great. So if you’re on the same boat, too, then you’d love this fresh herbaceous and lemony marinade that will surely become a summer hit.

Olive Oil – the base of our marinade. Not only that it’s healthier, but it also adds a nice layer of flavor to our chicken.

Garlic – an essential ingredient that is also widely used in Greek cuisine. This balances the more prominent herbaceous flavor

Lemon Juice – not only that it adds a nice vibrant flavor, but its acidity helps break down the tough fibers of the chicken to infuse the flavors of the marinade.

Herbs – (Fresh Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Parsley, Marjoram) Please don’t skip any of these, although the last herb – marjoram – is more like an optional one. Marjoram is known for its sweet and citrusy flavors and is often referred to as oregano in some Middle Eastern countries. Here I use fresh herbs, but you may also use the dried ones. Just add half of what the recipe calls for.

Nutmeg – with its warm, woodsy, bittersweet, aromatic flavor, you’d surely don’t want to miss that extra hint of something in this quick chicken marinade.

Salt and Pepper – take note not too over salt your marinade or that’d take away all the wonderful medley of flavors from the other ingredients.

How Long Do You Marinate Your Chicken?

I’ve made this chicken marinade several times with different marinating hours. They all turned out fine. But if time allows, I’d usually aim to marinate my chicken at least an hour to overnight. If you could only do 20 minutes (I know…we all get those crazy days), that is still perfectly fine, too.

Remember: Never ever reuse a chicken marinade UNLESS it is boiled first. 

How to Serve Greek Marinated Chicken?

The serving possibilities of this marinated chicken is ENDLESS! You can go simple or all out with any of these options below.

• Serve it on top of your favorite pasta salad. (Click HERE for choices)
• Like it on wraps? Sure thing! Stay Tuned for our CHICKEN GYROS recipe.
• You’d love this one with plain warm rice, too.
• Or keep it low-carb by serving this grilled chicken with our Greek SALAD (recipe coming this week).

Chicken Marinade Recipes

Wanna grow your list of homemade chicken marinade recipes? I still have a couple for you.

• Jerk Marinade
• Teriyaki Chicken
• Huli Huli Chicken
• Peri Peri Marinated Chicken Skewers

 

How To Grill Greek Marinated Chicken

 

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken in marinade, and coat or drench in herb mixture.  Seal bowl with plastic wrap or place in a Ziplock bag and refrigerate for at least an hour – preferably overnight. Using a tong, remove chicken from the sauce and discard any excess marinade.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place chicken on the grill and grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until you have a nice char – you may need to turn the chicken occasionally on each side until it is cooked all the way.

The best way to check for doneness is to use an instant-read thermometer.  The perfect internal temperature is 160 degrees F. Alternatively, you can always do a little cut into the middle to check that it’s just about opaque in the center. Remove from grill (or grill pan). Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.